The Star Spangled Banner
by AndreeaRaducan
Summary: AU. On the night when she and the other girls in the team named 'The Fierce Five' are crowned Olympic Champions, JJ receives a surprise that could not be topped by anything else in the world.


_A/N: This is kind of a different version of London 2012/Mind Over Matter. I got some inspiration as to another very special moment in JJ's 2012 Olympic Games. So I figured I'd write this stand alone fic. Aside from something about a member of her family, nothing has changed._

_I'm not sure if this would even be allowed at the Olympics, but it made for a cute story._

_Disclaimer: I own the original idea behind this story, but and all but some of the characters. Jennifer Jareau is a fictional character obviously belonging to Criminal Minds. McKayla Maroney, Gabrielle Douglas, Ksenia Afansyeva, Aliya Mustafina, Viktoria Komova, Maria Paseka, Anastasia Grishina, Sandra Izbasa, Catalina Ponor, Larisa Iordache, Diana Bulimar, Diana Chelaru (should any of them be mentioned) are all real gymnasts who all won at least one medal in the London 2012 Olympic Games._

* * *

Watching as Sienna leant down to receive her gold medal, JJ turned away for a moment to look around the arena.

The lights were dimmed in the crowd, making the thousands of glow sticks visible. She could see at least fifteen USA flags being waved around. People were cheering and wolf whistling as the Fierce Five received their gold medals.

Leaning down with a huge smile on her face, JJ was in awe when she felt the heavy weight of the Olympic gold around her neck. Shaking the hand of the official and taking the bunch of flowers, she was in a state of euphoria.

But that euphoria was brought down by one thing.

She knew her mom and her brother, Andrew, were in the crowd, somewhere near the beam apparatus.

But she wished her dad was there.

He'd been overseas for nearly six months, serving in Afghanistan. JJ had Skyped with him for three hours after being named to the Olympic team. It had been three hours of her desperately trying to hold back her tears, but letting them go anyway as her dad comforted her.

She still remembered the moment when he'd told the other guys on his squad.

"_Hey guys! Get over here!" Thomas yelled, beckoning wildly._

"_What is it, Tom?!"_

"_Jay did it! She's made the Olympic team!"_

_Most of the other guys on the squad appeared in JJ's view._

"_Jay, that's AWESOME!"_

"_We'll be watching you as much as we can, blondie!"_

"_You're going to blow them away!"_

_Thomas leant in front of them, smiling at his daughter. "Jay, I'm so proud of you. I love you so much. You're going to be absolutely amazing"_

She closed her eyes as the announcer presented the winning team to the crowd. A few hot tears slipped free as she desperately wished for her dad to be there, witnessing her receiving her first Olympic medal.

Sienna took her friend's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"_**JJ looks upset"**_

"_**Well, Al, I bet she's wishing her dad was here for her"**_

"_**Any second. Any second"**_

Sandy watched on anxiously, her hand locked with Andrew's as they waited expectantly. The message was coming.

From down beside the floor podium, Nicholas watched JJ's face with a huge smile on his own. It had taken some major string pulling to set this up.

"JJ, look," McKayla said softly, tugging on JJ's hand and pointing over near the entrance.

"Ladies and gentleman, would you please stand to welcome US Army Master Sergeant Thomas Jareau into the arena, father of one of tonight's Olympic Champions, Jennifer Jareau!"

JJ's expression went from shock to immediate emotion. As she saw her dad being led from the entrance up to the floor podium by Olympic security officials, she couldn't hold the tears back.

Leaping down from the podium as the crowd began to clap and cheer with the same ferocity as when the final score came through, she was already crying.

When she reached her dad, he was beaming from ear to ear. Holding her tight when she threw her arms around his neck, she clutched at him, trying hard to stem the tears and the sobs that were escaping her.

"I love you Jay," was the first thing Thomas said.

"I love you too," JJ replied through her tears, her voice broken due to her sobs.

As well as the Russian and Romanian girls smiling at the sight before them, the other girls in the Fierce Five were grinning massively; they'd known since leaving the Olympic Village what was going on, as had all the coaches, JJ's mom, and her brother. The excitement to see JJ be reunited with her father, and the determination to have it happen while she was wearing a gold medal had been enough to fuel them forward to the very end, from the first stuck landing to the last.

"I am _so_ proud of you, Jaybird," Thomas half laughed in JJ's ear as he let her down from the hug.

"You saw?" JJ asked through her sobs. Thomas nodded.

"I saw the entire final. You and the girls were incredible. I've been here since just after you left the Olympic Village. I watched from up there," he explained, pointing to a viewing box high above the arena floor.

"I missed you so much. I was sure you wouldn't be here," JJ sobbed, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her jacket. Thomas shook his head, wiping away her tears with his thumb.

"There was no way in hell I was missing my baby girl's first final in the Olympic Games. Absolutely wasn't going to happen. I've missed you so much," he replied, tears stinging his eyes, not for the first time, as he pulled her into one last hug.

"Ladies and gentleman, would you please remain standing for the national anthem of the United States of America"

Thomas gently nudged JJ towards the podium. "Go stand with the girls"

JJ burst into tears again. "I want to stay with you"

"You just won an Olympic gold medal, Jaybird. Go stand on the podium with the team, and I'll be with Nick when you come down, ok?"

JJ nodded, turning back towards the podium. She tried to draw in a deep breath as she stepped up to rejoin the team, but her emotion remained evident.

Sienna slipped an arm around her friend's shoulders, her other hand over her heart as the flag began to rise. As the five girls sang the national anthem to celebrate their victory, they knew they were singing it for more than a gold medal.

When JJ finally rejoined her father, she managed to show the smile that had been waiting to appear. Nicholas was beaming from ear to ear.

In the room where they were able to spend some time with their families, the Jareau's were all in tears as they were reunited once more.

* * *

"_What would you say is your favourite Olympic moment?" Amanda Tyler asked Richard Parry._

"_Oh, there's a few. The Aussie girls taking the first swimming gold, Aliya Mustafina ending Russia's Olympic gymnastics gold drought, Michael Phelps ending his career with, well, more medals...but my absolute favourite would have to be the one that went viral the night it happened. The night of the women's gymnastics team final, after the USA girls received their gold medal, and then McKayla Maroney pointed out to Jennifer Jareau something very special. She pointed out JJ's dad walking into the arena after being in Afghanistan for six months"_

"_JJ's reaction literally brings me to tears every time I see the clip. It would be less heartbreaking if she hadn't been trying so hard _not_ to cry"_

"_It was beautiful though. Her first Olympic medal, it's gold, and her dad, who is a military father, surprises her on the podium. Those tears showed you just how much she missed her father and wanted him to be at the Olympics"_

* * *

"_JJ, when your dad surprised you, the whole world's hearts melted at your reaction. What was that moment for you?"_

"_It was the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. Not even being named to the Olympic team and winning medals could top it. My dad appearing on a night when I was sure he was still in Afghanistan...it took a lot of work. It took a village to get him to the UK and into the arena, but I could not be more grateful for the people who got him there, because it made the night so much more special"_


End file.
